The film “The life of Oran Almog“, which was first shown at the event, can be viewed here:

At the Dinner, three victims of terror graduated from the One Family Big Brother Programme. Here is the story of one of our victims, 12 year old Shachar Moshe:

Four months after Osher lost a leg due to the injuries sustained in the attack, One Family arranged the visit where President Obama promised he would meet Osher again. And that promise was fulfilled thanks again to One Family who arranged this very special visit.

President Obama invited Twito to the Jerusalem International Convention Center and, during his speach told the thousands of people in the audience that the boy had become a symbol for him of the dangers that face Israel. “When I consider Israel’s security, I think about children like Osher Twito, who I met in Sderot – children the same age as my own daughters who went to bed at night fearful that a rocket would land in their bedroom simply because of who they are and where they live,” Obama said.After the speech, he spent a few moments talking privately with Osher and his mother Iris.

Rebecca Fuhrman of One Family, herself a terror victim, was also with them as a translator. “Iris immediately gave Obama a hug and thanked him for coming to Israel. Obama thanked her and told her how much her story had inspired him for the last five years since he met them,” said Fuhrman. “It was like old friends meeting each other.”

It was a private meeting away from the cameras, Fuhrman said, explaining that neither Twito nor his mother wanted to speak with reporters. But Iris did tell One Family after the meeting that “it was emotional for us and my husband who went through surgery last night and could not come. He called me in tears when he heard him say Osher’s name in the speech.”

“I hugged the president and told him that he gives us hope,” Iris added.

Fuhrman, who was injured in a March 22, 2011, bombing right outside the convention center, said she too was inspired by Obama, particularly given her history with that part of the city. “I feel like a survivor,” said Fuhrman, who is originally from Pittsburgh. On that day, she was on her way home from work, and luckily missed her bus, which was much closer to the blast. She had been in the back with two of her friends but had gotten up as the bus pulled to the stop because she thought about getting off.

At that moment, the bomb exploded. Her memory, she said, is blurry, but she recalled going back to get her friends and then yelling at the driver to open the door and let them off. “We started running down the street,” said Fuhrman. “I didn’t know I was injured. I was in shock.” It was only when she woke the next morning that she saw that something was wrong with her eye.

At first she thought it was pink eye, and it seemed so surreal to her that she would survive a terror attack only to wake up with something so mundane. But the doctor told her that it was actually a piece of shrapnel that had gone into her cornea. “But it was the emotional injury that was more difficult,” Fuhrman said.

Without the help of her family, One family and friends, she would not have made it through that difficult period, she said. She then went to work for One Family as a way of helping terror victims who lacked that same support system.

Obama and his office has shown so much understanding and have built a positive relationship with victims of terror in Israel, she said, adding that she was impressed by how personable Obama was. “I always knew he was an unbelievably charismatic person. But when he walked into the room and it was like seeing an old friend. He was so very personable that his personality really showed through,” she said.

“It was really inspiring to come back to a place that has such a negative memory and to be there for something so overwhelmingly positive.”

In reaction, World Chairman Marc Belzberg made an important public statement and call to action in the Jerusalem Post that we wanted to share with you.

The court decision is regretful, but is also an opportunity. This is the time for us to engender support for a proper memorial for Israel’s victims of terror and to work together to ensure that it involves Israelis, the Jewish community abroad, and the government of the State of Israel.

Click Here to Download Article

Please like our Facebook page to register your support for our hugely important campaign.

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So the One Family group of injured victims have returned to Israel and have been full of praise for the time they had in London. With each victim safe in the knowledge that they have returned with a whole new network of friends, people they can turn to who understand their pain and can comfort them in their darkest hour.

Personal messages of thanks have been sent to all the generous host families and all those who played a part in changing the lives of those who came to London.

And so a new phase begins in their rehabilitation, with One Family leading the way in this. There may be dark days ahead with more surgery being required, however, the friendships made by everyone in the group that bonded so well in London, will ease the loneliness and pain that each victim feels.

The group of victims injured by terror and brought to London by One Family, have returned to Israel full of hope and courage, thanks to their time in London.

The full week of activities culminated in a very special Friday night Shabbat meal for nearly 300 at Kinloss Gardens Synagogue. A standing ovation was given to the group who spoke of their injuries and how their lives have been put back on track, thanks to the trip to London. “Knowing there are people outside of Israel who care so much for us is really unbelievable and gives us the strength to continue” said Maor, one of the participants.

The conclusion of Shabbat saw a wonderful farewell party where the group were joined by their host families and the fantastic One Family committee. Food and drink were in abundance as everyone partied well into the early hours.

To see the unbelievable transformation of each individual of the group, from the quiet sullen individuals that arrived, to the all singing, all dancing individuals that returned to Israel was something that filled everyone concerned with pride. Everything the committee wanted to achieve from the trip was exceeded and many new relationships have been forged that will stay for many a year and are so crucial in the victims rehabilitation.

Whilst in London they will be staying with host families and will be shown all around the main tourist areas of London, foreging long lasting relationships which they take back to Israel with them.

The week’s trip in London is comparable to five years of mental rehabilitation and makes a massive difference to their own physical rehabilitation.

Those included on this trip and whose names cannot be published for security reasons are:

OY (27)

O was injured in Nablus in 2007. He was in a combat unit and

was injured in action. He has shrapnel scars all over his body and

he suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

ED (30)

E was a paratropper in a combat unit injured in the Lebanon

war in 2007. Hezbollah fired a rocket on a group of soldiers waiting

in Kfar Giladi to enter in to Lebanon. The whole group of 12

soldiers were killed, except E who is the only survivor. He

mainly suffers from survivors guilt and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

AB (29)

A was injured in the Lebanon war in 2006 while he was on Miluim

duty. He was trying save soldiers who were stuck in a tank

that had been fired on. He suffers from gunshot wounds and

shrapnel injuries.

ME (26)

M was injured in Gaza in 2007. He was in the Givati brigade.

He now lives in Kiryat Gat and his right arm is paralysed completely.

He works for a building company.

BH (24)

B was injured when she was 14 in a bomb explosion in Meah

Shearim (Jerusalem). She spent over a year and a half in hospital

and today suffers from problems with her limbs, scars and shrapnel

wounds. As such she has a very low self esteem. She is also

depressed as her mother who has supported her since the attack

passed away a year ago. She does not work or study.

LG (26)

L was injured a year and a half ago in Beer Sheva when a

rocket fell. He and Adael were injured together. His injuries are

mainly in his legs and he finds it hard to walk long distances. He

has a lot of shrapnel wounds on his body. He has just finished

studying engineering at Beer Sheva University.

GA (24).

G was injured in Cast Lead in 2009. He was in the Golani

Brigade and entered a house that was surrounded by explosives

which blew up when the soldiers entered the house. He is injured

on his shoulder and arm. He in still undergoing treatment

for his injuries and had an operation at the end of October. He

also suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

AS (25)

A was injured 10 years ago in the bombing of the Dolphinarium

Nightclub in Tel Aviv. She had a terrible head injury and so finds it

very hard to speak. She also has cognitive injuries because of the

attack. Her right arm is paralysed and she also has problems with her

right leg. Her mother, Irena has been her carer 24 hours a day since

the attack and will be coming with her to London.

YB

Yochai was injured in 2001 in Gaza. He was part of a brigade of

soldiers who serve to protect the borders of Israel and was injured

when a grenade was thrown on him. He lost his leg in the

explosion. He is now studying in Beer Sheva University.

OA (29)

Ofir was injured in 2011 when a terrorist ran him over in Tel Aviv.

He has head, back and leg injuries and 3 of the bones in his

spine were broken. He can walk but is not allowed to lift anything.

AS (24)

A was injured a year and a half ago with Lior in Beer Sheva

when a rocket fell. She has serious leg injuries including burns

and scarring. She can walk short distances and a wheelchair will

be brought for her for the busy days.

HS (28)

H was injured in 2006 in the Lebanon war when a rocket hit a

group of Golani soldiers. He has shrapnel wounds on his arms but

also suffers from high blood pressure and Post Traumatic Stress

Disorder.

KA (28)

K was injured in the Lebanon was on the last day of the war in

the Saluki area where Israel lost the most soldiers in that area. He

has bullet injuries in his right leg. He can stand but finds in hard to

walk long distances.

AM (28)

A has been injured twice in combat. The first time was in

Lebanon in 2006 when he was shot. The second time was in Nablus

when he was shot again but this time his sight and hearing

have been impaired. He also has shrapnel wounds in his stomach

and head. Despite all of this he has returned to serve in the army

in a undercover role.

EM (26)

Eliran was a combat solider injured in Lebanon 2006. He was injured

by a large piece of shrapnel in his leg. He suffers from Post

Traumatic Stress Disorder.

TN

T was injured in Lebanon in 2006. He was injured in his

legs and suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. As well

as this he suffers from depression since the attack.

AT (26)

A is 26 and was injured in Lebanon in 2006. He was hit by

Hezbollah on his foot and his right leg. He suffers from problems

in his nervous system.

MY (26)

Moshe was injured in Lebanon in 2006. He was with a group of

soldiers in a house when a rocket was fired on to them. He has

shrapnel wounds in his right arm and suffers mildly from Post

Traumatic Stress Disorder.

LR (25)

Lior was injured when he was 15. He went out with friends to eat

when a suicide bomber exploded in the restaurant. He was with

his sister who died but he was badly injured. He suffers from

pain all over his body and shrapnel wounds. He suffers mildly

from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

A terrorist has blown up a bus in Tel Aviv seriously injuring 3, with injuries to another 7 not life threatening. As news of the bombing came through on the hotline to the One Family centre in Jerusalem, One Family staff and volunteers sprung into action with counsellors in the Tel Aviv area being despatched to the hospitals to make themselves available.

As the names filter through, Nava Formansky, the One Family Tel Aviv region co-ordinator, will be in touch with the families offering immediate support to enable them to look after their loved ones and to ensure they are given the best possible advice.

Nava and her team will ensure that childcare services will be offered to those families who have young children at home, taxi fares will be offered to help the families visit the hospital over the coming days and nice meals will be provided for the families for the duration of their stay.

On November 10^th, Shimon ben Diana, a British-Israeli medic in Golani was driving in his jeep when it was hit by an anti-tank missile from Gaza He suffered shrapnel injuries to his eyes and forehead. He has regained stability to one of his eyes, while his other eye will require additional surgery. One Family counsellors have met with Shimon and are assessing his needs. One Family are also helping his family whilst Shimon is in hospital.

On November 18^th, Daniel and Miriam were traveling through Ofakim on their way home when an alarm sounded. They pulled over and grabbedtheir daughter from her car seat – as they crouched down the rocket hit 10 meters from their car. Shrapnel struck Miriam’s leg and Daniel’s back and leg – their daughter suffered minor injuries. Tears of relief poured down their faces as Miriam explained what happened to the One Family volunteer visiting the family.

Mindee Levinger, the Jerusalem Coordinator visited the parents of Mira Sharf who was murdered on November 15^th. She, Aharon Smadji, and Itzik Amsalem were killed when a rocket from Gaza landed on an apartment building in Kiryat Melachi. Mira was the Chabad emissary in New Dehli, India. Her husband Shmulik and son are still in serious condition in the hospital. Her two young daughters (pictured) are staying with Shmulik’s parents; they visited the shiva home to see their maternal grandparents today. Mira’s parents will join One Family’s bereaved parents support group in the coming weeks.

Etty, one of the Sderot community liaisons left Sderot this morning to Tiberias together with a large One Family group of others who are living directly in the firing line . The emotional impact of recent attacks have been too difficult for her and her five children. Etty was injured in 2009 when a Qassam rocket fell near their home. She suffers from severe PTSD and cannot sleep, cannot concentrate, has a high level of anxiety, and suffers from trauma induced depression. One Family counsellors provide psychological help to Etty to help hert function on a daily basis

Since Friday, one Family has received hundreds of phone calls from victims requiring support from Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and many other smaller towns. One Family currently assists close to 4,000 victims of terror and their families – bereaved, orphaned, wounded, maimed through acts of terror.

• Evacuated the most needy to the north of the country, taking them outside of the firing line
• Visited the families and the Shiva houses of those killed in the direct hit on the aprtment block in Kiryat Malachi, offering immediate and ongoing help
• Visited those injured in the rocket attacks offering immediate and ongoing help
• Provided emergency transport to the hospitals for the families of those injured
• Provided meals for the families visiting their injured family in hospitals
• Provided counsellors at the hospitals to greet families of those injured to sit with them and offer help
• Set up an emergency hotline manned by volunteers for those in need of help
• Provided counsellors to spend time in the shelters with children to make them feel safe and to provide educational programmes for them
• Provided books, magazines and games for the children having to live in their shelters
• Provided meals for those families having to live in their shelters

Unfortunately, One Family is also caring for some 3,000 other families, all of whom have been affected by a terror attack. With resources being utilised elsewhere, One Family needs your help to continue with it’s life changing work.
Please CLICK HERE if you would like to help us rebuild the lives of those shatterd as a result

Staff and volunteers of One Family are already on the scene as a rocket fired from Gaza, claims a direct hit on an apartment block in Kiryat Malachi, killing 3 and seriously injuring 5 more. As operation “Pillar of Defense” heightens the prospect of terror attacks within Israel, especially on those cities close to the border of Gaza, becomes a real possibility.

A special hotline has been set up to take calls from those in need of help. One Family counsellors are one of the first notified of any families suffering a bereavement or of those injured persons being admitted to hospital, enabling specialist help to be ready instantaneously. Hundreds of fully trained volunteers are ready to help wherever there is a need.

One Family has already set aside funds for such an emergency situation, however, no amount of funds is ever enough as One Family continue to help, on a daily basis, more than 3,000 families, all of whom have been affected by an act of terrorism.

Please help us and click here to ensure that One Family can continue to help all those who cry out for our help now and at any time there is a need.

Thank You